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Behold the green and gold! Norfolk State University is one of the largest HBCUs in the state of Virginia. NSU is one of the top 25 HBCUs in the country according to the latest U.S News and World Report ranking. This HBCU has produced some of the most successful black media professionals and entrepreneurs in the nation.
Here is a list of some of NSU’s most notable Spartans.
Tim Reid
Tim Reid is one of the most iconic black TV fathers to ever grace our screens. But before he was the overbearing yet lovable Ray Campbell on the hit show Sister Sister he was your average Norfolk State University.
Reid who is also a native of Norfolk, Virginia graduated from NSU in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. After graduation, he launched his career in marketing as a representative for DuPont. Not long after starting his marketing career, Reid realized that show business was his true passion.
Reid’s career began that same year when joined the interracial stand-up comedy duo, Tim and Tom, with Tom Dreesen. He has starred in numerous TV roles throughout his career on shows including The Richard Pryor Show, Simon & Simon, Frank’s Place, and WKRP in Cincinnati where he portrayed his most known TV character DJ Venus Flytrap.
In 1982, Reid married Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress Daphne Maxwell The two would go on to work on several projects together as husband and wife including Frank’s Place. His role as both a producer and an actor on the series earned him two Emmy nominations for “Best Actor in a Comedy” and for “Best Producer of a Comedy Series.” Reid’s journey didn’t stop at acting.
Reid has directed several projects including the 1996 film Once Upon a Time… When We Were Colored.He created and directed a children’s TV series called Bobobobs that aired in the late 80’s. In 1997, Reid and his wife opened New Millennium Studios in Petersburg, Virginia.
This was the only Black-owned film studio since the 1930s and one of the largest independent film studios outside of Hollywood. The studio was used to film several movie and TV productions including elements of the 2012 Steven Spielberg film, Lincoln. Reid later sold the studio for $1.5 million in 2015.
Reid also received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Norfolk State in 1996.
Jerry “J.B. Smoove” Brooks
JB Smoove is a multi-talented actor, writer, voice actor, and comedian. Smoove was born in Plymouth, North Carolina, and later moved to Mount Vernon, New York during his childhood. He attended Norfolk State in 1984, where he studied engineering and graphic design. During his time at Norfolk State, he shortened his name to J.B. and later added the “Smoove” in pursuit of his career in stand-up comedy.
Smoove moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to pursue a career in acting. Since the beginning of his career, Smoove has over 95 film and TV credits. One of Smoove’s most memorable roles was his role as Leon Black on the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. He has starred on shows including, Saturday Night Live, Everybody Hates Chris, and Real Husbands of Hollywood.
In 2012, Smoove’s first televised comedy special, JB Smoove: That How I Dooz It, aired on Comedy Central.
Smoove is still excelling in the world of acting. His latest film Back on the Strip, starring Wesley Snipes, Gary Owens, and Bill Bellamy was released earlier this year.
Ashley Jones
For Tones of Melanin CEO and Norfolk State alumna, Ashley Jones being an entrepreneur was in her blood. Her grandparents owned the first Black beauty supply companies in her hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Jones who is a 2015 graduate of Norfolk State University started her HBCU apparel company, Tones of Melanin, in 2017. During her time at NSU, Jones would design apparel for organizations on campus but noticed something was missing in HBCU fashion.
Back in May, Jones made an appearance on the ABC show Shark Tank. Tones of Melanin was the first HBCU athleisure company to be pitched on the show. She initially offered the sharks 5% for a $300,000 investment. After sharing her inspirational story and a convincing pitch, Jones made a deal with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for 12 % equity for the same $300,000 investment.
According to Jones, Tones of Melanin has accumulated $3.3 million in sales as of May 2023. Tones of Melanin reported $1.4 million in sales in 2022 and over $300,000 in revenue just earlier this year. Tones of Melanin has 40 HBCU licenses and can be found in major retailers, including Belk Stores, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Follett College Bookstores.
Jawn Murray
DMV native Jawn Murray is a well-known TV host, media personality, executive producer, and pop culture expert. Murray was born in Warrenton, Virginia before relocating to Falls Church, Virginia. He went on to attend Norfolk State where he studied mass communications.
During his time at NSU Murray was an intern at the Washington, DC radio station WPGC 95.5 FM. This was the kickstart of Murray’s professional career in the media industry. Radio host Michel Wright hired Murray during his internship to research stories for an on-air entertainment segment because he had a passion for pop culture and celebrity news.
Murray’s career truly began when he launched Garek News, an email entertainment newsletter. His writing career eventually led him to be the writer of BV Buzz, a popular entertainment column for AOL’s Black Voices.
He worked with AOL for the next seven years. In 2006, he joined the Tom Joyner Morning Show as an on-air radio personality. This made him one of the youngest people to ever join the Urban Adult Contemporary radio program.
Murray made his TV debut on the E! Entertainment series, Love Chain. He has also been a commentator on other E! shows including E!’s True Hollywood Story and Hollywood Wives’ Tales.
He later became a regular expert on the TV One bio series, Life After. Throughout his career, he has also starred on several talk shows as a co-host and panelist. He co-hosted the daytime talk show The View a few weeks before Barbra Walter’s retirement. Not only is he seen as a force in the world of TV and radio but social media as well.
The Huffington Post credits him with propelling Kim Kardashian’s level of fame with one of his early stories for AOL Black Voices in 2006. In 2010, Grey Goose selected him as one of their “Archetype 25” honorees. He was also named one of Washington D. C’s most influential men by Don Julio. Murray joined the talk show, Sherri, as the executive producer and commentator.
Phil Thornton
Norfolk native and Norfolk State University alum Phil Thornton was destined to work in the entertainment industry. At the age of 12, he landed an internship at WOWI-FM, a local radio station in Norfolk. By the time he turned 15, he became an intern and shining star at Arista Records.
He’s worked with legendary artists like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, and Notorious BIG. Thornton graduated from NSU in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. While at NSU he and a fellow student wrote a proposal to the president of the university about switching the college radio station WNSB, Hot 91.1 from an all-jazz rotation to hip-hop and R&B. having a college radio station. The president loved the idea and agreed to the switch.
After graduating, he launched his company, Bright Star Entertainment, an artist management/ consultant firm. Thornton has a list of celebrity clientele including R&B group 112 and singer Lil’ Mo. In 2007, along with Marcus Spence Paul Coy Allen, Thornton formed the multi-media conglomerate Ten2One Entertainment.
Along with Sony Pictures and Thinkfactory Media, Ten2One Entertainment released the made-for-TV film Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge, & Miche’le. Focusing on artist management at Ten2One, Thornton has assisted with the careers of artists such as Faith Evans, Kenny Latimore, and Mack Wilds.
Thornton also launched several successful TV One shows including LisaRaye: The Real McCoy and I Married A Baller. While working at Ten2One, Thornton was named senior vice president and general manager of RCA Inspiration, a division of Sony Music, where he worked with gospel artists like Kirk Franklin,
Donnie McClurkin, Marvin Sapp, and more. Before working at RCA, he served as the vice president and general manager of Urban Inspirational at eOne Music. Last year, Thornton became the SVP for Capitol Christian Music Group in Nashville, Tennesse.
